The present application generally relates to a transactional supply chain system and method and, more particularly, to a system and method for allowing transactions to occur at and between one or more stages along a supply chain while communicating these transactions to one or more participants in a real-time manner and for enabling the participants to trace the history of a product along the supply chain.
Producers, such as farmers, can subscribe to a grower-based system. A grower-based system enables a farmer to input information relating to the farmer""s fields and crops. Such information can include what varieties of a crop are being grown, the quantity of the crops being grown, the location of the crops, any inputs applied to the crop and any farm technique to encourage growth or control weeds and insects. The grower-based system allows the farmer to manage the farm better, for example, to enhance the farm""s yield. However, a variety of difficulties still exist for the farmer to gain value for the crop or livestock. These difficulties lie in limited information flow and market signals limited mainly to price and yield, with multiple tiers used in moving a product to market, the farmer is removed from understanding and coordinating inputs with value traits wanted by end-users, coordinating livestock needs with markets, and environmental and food safety compliance/traceability. A farmer, unless contracted, relies primarily on price markets to sell a harvest.
Once a crop is grown and harvested, the crop is stored, then transported to a processor that processes the crop. The processor is also faced with difficulties, including few information links with raw material producers beyond buy and sell relationships, unwanted, undesired or unmet commodity quality traits, inefficiencies due to a multi-tiered structure and inconsistency of supply, lack of information on how desired crops are grown and how to efficiently source the crops, excess inventory caused by lack of real-time data, poor verification and safety traceability which can lead to serious safety issues as seen with Mad Cow Disease and Starlink issues, loss of product efficiencies due to lack of trait consistent traceable identification, environmental and food safety compliance, and, therefore, makes verifying brand claims difficult and creating new products from known ingredients harder.
Further, individuals or companies within a supply chain traditionally have been transacting business on a one-to-one basis, that is, communicating via telephone, fax, e-mail or in-person requirements, logistics, and terms for a purchase or sale to take place. For example, a producer wanting to do business with a first stage processor transacts business on a one-to-one basis with the first stage processor. In addition, the first stage processor transacts business with producers and manufacturers on a one-to-one basis or through some form of a buying group. The manufacturers then transact business with retailers, wholesalers, distributors, or other end-users who get products into the hands of consumers.
There is a need for a system and method that allows an individual or company within a supply chain to transact and manage business with one or more other individuals or companies within or outside the supply chain from a single web-based environment so that a collaborative supply chain can be created. Further, what is needed is a system and method for tracing ingredient history of products using the single web-based environment.
An aspect of the present application provides for a supply chain system, including a first interface operable to allow a first individual to input first information associated with an item, and a second interface operable to allow a second individual to input second information associated with a first processing of the item, wherein the first individual and the second individual can access the inputted first information and the inputted second information via a network connection. Another aspect of the present application provides for a supply chain system. The supply chain system includes at least one producer interface operable to allow at least one producer to input first information, a producer server coupled to the at least one producer interface for processing the first information associated with an item, a producer database coupled to the producer server for storing the first information, at least one processor interface operable to allow at least one processor to input second information, a processor server coupled to the at least one processor interface for processing the second information associated with the item, a processor database coupled to the processor server for storing the processed second information, at least one manufacturer interface operable to allow at least one manufacturer to input third information associated with the item, a manufacturer server coupled to the at least one manufacturer server for processing the third information, and a manufacturer database coupled to the manufacturer server for storing the processed third information, wherein the producer server, the processor server and the manufacturer server are coupled to each other via an Internet connection.
A further aspect of the present application provides for a method for facilitating at least one transaction between a first individual within a supply chain and a second individual within or outside the supply chain, including networking a plurality of individuals within or outside the supply chain together in a single web-enabled environment, the plurality of individuals including the first individual and the second individual, and routing transactional data between at least the first individual and the second individual.
A still further aspect of the present application provides for a method for tracing a first item and a second item including the first item as the first item and second item progress along a supply chain. The method includes associating first information with the first item at a stage of the supply chain, and associating second information and the first information with the second item including the first item at another stage of the supply chain.